


What Comes in Sixes (Hiatus)

by skreaver



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, M/M, Mostly Canon Compliant, Other, Reader is disguised as a girl but it's mentioned they've been all manner of gender, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-04-27 19:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14432415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skreaver/pseuds/skreaver
Summary: You had been with him for what? Seven, maybe eight years now? Official for three?There was no ring on your finger but you were his partner in every manner of speaking - in love and in work. You were a confidant, a second pair of eyes. You walked in daylight where his shadow would follow. You were the hand on the gun and he was the trigger. You were the many different faces that everyone saw but he was the one facilitating the words in your mouth. Agent Six, Hex in some cases, was what law enforcement and the underworld had come to know you by and that's all they needed to know. Your real name was safe in a memory you had long since removed from this mortal plane.It would serve you well that you did when you embarked on your next adventure.





	1. Business as Usual

_ It was ironic when you thought back on it.  _

_ When you met him, you were trying to kill him. _

_ Now? He was the love of your life. _

\- - - -

The only room in the house that was even partially lit was the living room. The sun filtered in through the windows, lighting up the house in the glow of early afternoon. You had grown used to how dark the house was normally, and you had even come to favor it being like that, but the subtle glow of the sun certainly did help when it came to bringing in groceries.

Determined not to make the second trip back to the car you had gathered the many bags onto your arms, hastily making your way over to the kitchen counter once you had maneuvered the door open through a combination of quickly turning the key with your struggling hand and then kicking the door part way open.

“Phew… made it” you sighed, having put all of the bags down finally. Your hands freed you swiftly journeyed to the door and locked it. Of course, given who the moderately sized house belonged to it was never quite as simple as _ just  _ locking the door. Before you had come in there was an elaborate security system you had shut off to make life easier but now it needed to be reactivated.

Your fingers push over the combination lock near the door and one eye scan later, the system had been reactivated. Even if it could be a pain sometimes, that system certainly did make you feel more at ease given the nature of the life you now lived. Not that the life you lived previously was any safer but this type of security was not provided to you during that life. It was just one of the many things that had changed - for the better - between then and now.

“Still wrapped up in his room I suppose…” the soft English accent you had acquired over the years is a wisp underneath your breath, as you look towards your lover’s workroom. You can see the faint light of his computer glimmering out from underneath the door. Venturing closer to it, you can hear the erratic pacing of fingers at a keyboard. Had you known better you might’ve been worried but, this as well, was something you’d grown used to.

You pulled out your phone, slightly uncomfortable with knocking on his door. You were never yelled at or scolded in any type of way for ‘bothering’ him and in fact he told you multiple times that your company was valued and even if you were to just sit with him, he found it easier to work with you around. Yet, you couldn’t help but feel that it was the slightest bit intrusive to knock when he kept his room quiet for the sole purpose of having a clearer space to think and work in. So instead you opted to text him.

_ ‘Hey, dear. I just got home. Is it alright if I come in?’ _

Even between rooms the absolute silence on the other side of the door made it easy for you to hear his phone vibrating against the wooden floor. And a moment later -

_ ‘Yes, of course. In fact I would prefer it if you did come in.’ _

_ ‘Cute’  _ you thought, skimming over the text with a wide smile forming on your face. You reached for the door handle and slowly pushed the door open, so as not to make too much noise. Even though you had done this a hundred times over you still found your eyes squinting as you entered the darkened room, illuminated only by the small light of the laptop in the middle of the room.

There’s a familiar, dimly lit figure sitting in front of the laptop with one knee propped up and the other leg crossed on the floor. Through the small bit of light emitted from the electronic device, which is amplified by the almost complete darkness of the room, you can make out the shape of his unkempt black hair and lanky arms. It was a familiar sight and one that had grown rather endearing to you over the years.

“Hello, love” you smiled, closing the door and taking your place next to him.

“Good afternoon, darling.” - your heart felt like a happy, little balloon every  time he said that - “How was your trip?”

His fingers never stop typing and his eyes only glance at you every now and again in their rigorous search through article after article but this too was something you had grown used to. Your lover was not normally the type of man for small talk so for him to have asked about your day at all meant he was interested.

“Oh, the standard” you shrugged. “They had quite a bit on sale at the shop so that was nice, otherwise it was just business as usual” you laughed.

“I see. Well I'm glad it wasn't too much trouble for you. I would have accompanied you but - “

“It's beyond fine, dear” you laughed, politely cutting him off. “I think the world needs you a bit more than our shopping trip”

“Mmm, I would have to agree. But I feel it's worth noting that I do like to be there with you for this type of thing”

Coming from the greatest detective of all time that had to be one of the cutest things he had ever said. It wasn't abnormal for him to want to be involved in domestic activities like shopping, cooking and other such things but it was still cute to hear him talk about it.

“Hun there will be other shopping trips, I promise.  And next time you can carry the heavy stuff”

He chuckled quietly to himself at your statement.  “So I see, that's what you need me for?”

“Nah, that's just your payment for having me go alone this time” you laughed.

You caught a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “I suppose that's a fair trade”

“You're damn right it is” you giggled, softly resting your head against his shoulder. “But more importantly what's going on? Have you made any headway with the investigation?”

“Actually” even in the dark you could see the way his eyes brightened. “I believe the culprit is in Japan”

You quirked an eyebrow up at him, clearly curious as to how he had come to this conclusion. “Japan? Why there?”

“Well” he drags his finger over the trackpad until the mouse is hovering over a document. When it pops open you can see a list of names and the day they died as well as their locations.

The one at the top of the list was a criminal from Shinjuku, Japan.

“The first criminal to have died of a heart attack in the recent months was one that was only ever reported inside of Japan.” he explained, pointing to the name at the top of the list. “The criminal was holding an elementary school hostage and right about the time the incident was being broadcasted to the public the criminal, without warning, dropped to the ground and stopped breathing”

“So, a heart attack then?” you questioned, more so impressed than surprised that he had been able to trace the killings back that far. You were stunned, of course, in every sense of the word but you had come to expect this level of insight from your lover.

“Yes. The autopsy report on this particular criminal confirmed as much”

“That's crazy” you breathed. “So what are we doing from here?”

“Well, as you know Watari left to address the ICPO earlier yesterday”

“Right, I remember that”

“He should arrive there soon, in fact I don't think it will be too much longer until he's in the building”

“Right… and you're sure they'll cooperate with us on this investigation?”

He puts a thumb to his lips, lightly biting on the skin in thought. “I haven't been met with resistance from the authorities in previous cases and given the mysterious circumstances surrounding this one I'm positive they'll want our help”

There's a level of confidence in his voice, it's even and sure. He wasn't being cocky and even if he was all of the work he had accomplished as a detective certainly gave him reason to be. But in this moment, the way he spoke led you to believe that this was something he was sure of - that the ICPO would certainly be calling for him soon.

Your answer would come rather quickly.

_ Beep. Beep.  _ The sound echoed from his laptop, immediately grabbing your and your lover's attention.

A screen pops open, revealing video feed of a man in a trench coat and a wide brimmed hat that hid the majority of his face in it's shadow. Of course, this figure is another that is all too familiar to you.

“The meeting is about to begin. I imagine it is only a matter of time before they decide to contact you” the man, Watari, speaks through the other end of the feed.

“Yes, very good, Watari” the man beside you spoke clear and direct.

It's after that the two of you are able to be privy to the inner workings of a meeting at the ICPO. The delegates go back and forth on what's currently happening in the case, one side arguing about whether or not criminals dropping dead was really such a bad thing. The opinion seems equally divided but ultimately, given the circumstances,  the outcome is the same.

“Then I guess we'll have no choice but to call in L” one man announces finally, sending the crowd into a sudden silence.

On the other end of the computer you couldn't help but smile at the predictability of the situation. “Guess you were right”

He doesn't say much but the little chuckle he let's out speaks for him.  _ Aren't I always? _

“But I've heard he's incredibly cocky and only takes on cases he's personally interested in” another man in the meeting complains.

_ Why  _ **_wouldn't_ ** _ he be interested in this case?  _ you found yourself thinking.

“Besides we don't even know how to contact him” echoes another.

At was at this time Watari felt it was appropriate to end this little back and forth to politely interrupt and inform the committee that the detective had already begun his investigation.

“L would like to address the delegates” he stated, not so much an offer but rather an announcement of something that was very much going to happen.

Watari turned the computer fully so that they now had a clear view of what was undoubtedly the detective’s signature logo.

At this action you move your head from his shoulder,  allowing him to take a closer position near the microphone sitting just beside his laptop.

You could feel it in your bones. This was the start of something truly new. A whole new adventure you had not experienced yet.

“Greetings to all of you at the ICPO.”

There’s a perfectly timed pause there. It leaves the men staring at the computer screen, anxiously awaiting the introduction they were told they would be getting. The room is so quiet you can hear only the faint breathing of the officers, the tension almost visible in every labored breath they took.

Then a computerized voice cuts through the crowd, commanding the space...

“I, am L”

 

..and that was how it all began.

  
  



	2. The Past and the Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're on a 11 hour plane ride from England to Japan. What better time to spend that flight than to reflect on how far you've come from the time you met your then-enemy to now where he is your current lover?

_ You just didn’t understand it. You had taken on plenty of missions like this before and every single time things always went the same. You slunk through whatever part of the building you had infiltrated - disguise or otherwise - and saw to it that your target was eliminated. Swiftly, quietly, no questions asked. It was what was expected of you.  _

_ So why now, did you have a knife to the target’s throat but an assault rifle at your back? _

_ “I’m sure you know quite well what will happen to you if you continue what you aim to do” the voice from behind you spoke. The person with the big fucking gun,  _ **_warned_ ** _. You can’t see him but his voice sounds like that of an older man, polite tone laced in the thickest venom. You don’t imagine he’s got any kind of patience for a nameless mercenary to have made it this far inside, to have gotten this close to such a valuable person but he did a good job of making you believe he did. _

_ “It’s quite alright, Watari. I don’t imagine they have the will to go through with their original intentions given the circumstances” you can feel the target’s throat edging just along the blade of the knife, bouncing on it slightly as he spoke. Aside from a few hitches here and there, his voice is completely steady, unnerved even. _

_ It made you feel sick to know you’d been cornered like this. You were like a dog backed up into a cage and that was not how you carried yourself. _

_ “Yeah? And what makes you think I won’t?” you hissed, pressing the blade ever closer into his skin. _

_ “Given the situation you’re in I don’t think it would be wise” he choked, if only because the knife was somewhat preventing him from speaking normally. “And besides… you’ve confirmed something very important for me” _

_ "And what would that be, oh-so-wonderful detective?” you scorned, ready to rip his throat out despite the consequences. You were as good as dead for getting caught anyway so why hesitate? _

_ "You are indeed as valuable as I originally thought you to be” _

_ Those words stung at your heart in a manner you never thought possible. You feel all of your limbs start to weaken and, involuntarily,  you lower the knife. “What… does that mean?” _

_ "I don’t live here or have these security systems installed to make it easy for people like you to find me. In fact it’s quite the opposite” you feel like this is meant to be a joke but you’re too stunned to respond to his subtle humor in any outward manner. “And yet, you managed to not only find me but also infiltrate this place undetected. The only reason you were caught is because I anticipated your arrival” _

_ “How did you…?” the rest of the words don’t leave your mouth. This was a situation you had never prepared for in all of your time in this life. He knew? But how?  _

_ “I’ve been tracking the movements of your group for some time now. They sent you after me because they noticed this. Had it not been for the fact I was already keeping tabs on you, you very well may have gotten away with this” _

_ Son of a bitch. How did he even know about your group? You were known only in myths throughout the underworld, words of mouth that were never confirmed, and law enforcement never caught on either. Then again, this was L, wasn’t it? _

_ “Now that I have explained these things to you I would like to revisit what I said earlier, about you finding me” _

_ It takes you a moment to respond “... go on” _

_ “Given that you’ve proven how adept you are in stealth and I’ve heard other mentions of your ability to adapt to any type of crowd I believe you might be useful to me” _

_ “Why the fuck would I work with you?” you snorted. _

_ “You don’t have many options. Either you slit my throat and Watari will kill you or you refuse my offer and I send you to prison. You’ll be marked as a high risk felon and likely won’t see the light of day once they put you away” he explained, calm and collected. It unnerved you that he could speak this clearly and even demand these things of you with a knife to his throat. _

_ “Aren’t you just going to send me to prison, anyway? You’re a detective aren’t you? Your job is to put people like me away” the phrase ‘people like me’ feels thick in your throat and you’re sure he didn’t miss the inflection of self loathing on your tongue when you said it. _

_ “Not necessarily. I feel you could be useful in future endeavors and you are most certainly vital to the one I am currently pursuing. I don’t expect service without payment, that’s just not good business. So in return for your cooperation I’ll grant you your freedom” _

_ “Freedom..?” the word sounds foreign on your tongue. _

_ What did that… mean? Did he mean free to return to your life before now? You couldn’t do that. If word ever got out among your group that you had been seen, no captured, you would be killed for sure. You would have to live even more so on your feet, always weary of everyone and everything around you. And besides… _

_ … there was no freedom in this life. You never asked for it, you were born into it with no way out. _

_ “There’s no freedom for me. It really doesn’t matter what I do, surely you must know that?” you sighed.  _

_ “Then perhaps you might want to take my offer. Redemption might be something worth participating in, yes?” _

_ “Redemption? Gee and I thought you were just some brilliant hermit, turns out you’re funny too” you snort. “There’s no redemption for someone like me.  _ **_Surely, you must know that?_ ** _ ” _

_ “Perhaps more than I’d like to admit.” the small utterance of truth is almost a whisper beneath his breath. “But the pursuit might be more rewarding than to die here or waste away in prison”  _ ****

_ For some reason, those words make you remove the knife completely. Reality starts to settle in and you’re forced to recognize that taking his offer was the last logical option you had left. And maybe… the pursuit of redemption might be worth the time. _

_ “I don’t know what I can offer the world’s greatest detective but… you have my service” you sigh, reluctant but willing. _

_ “Don’t worry, I know exactly what you can do for me” _

_ That was how that story began. _

_ _______________________ _

The sudden feeling of your entire world shaking to and fro wakes you, suddenly, from your slumber.

“Wh-what’s going on?” you muttered, eyes having snapped open to groggily take in your surroundings. It’s a weird feeling to be so panicked but so tired at the same time. It feels like having consumed a fifth cup of coffee but moving in slow motion.

It takes you a moment but you finally gather that you’re still on a plane, cuddled up to the very man you’d been reminiscing about in your dreams. It made sense once you actually came to your senses and gathered what reality was.

In the days following L’s conversation with the ICPO he went on to have a televised confrontation with the criminal killer - Kira, as the public had dubbed him - in which he confirmed a crucial detail.

Kira was in fact, in Japan.

Which could only mean one thing for the pair of you. It was high time you got yourselves over there, and as fate would have it you were about half way through your flight. The duration of that time you must have spent sleeping because you only barely remember taking off before the world started getting blurry and you could hardly keep your eyes open.

“It’s only turbulence, darling” the man you were cuddled up to explained, chuckling just slightly as he places a calming hand on your head.

“Oh wow… I guess I must’ve really knocked out then” you laughed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“It certainly seemed to be that way. You’ve been in the same position for quite some time”

“Oh, did it bother you? You could have woken me up”

“Not in the slightest. This is quite a long trip and once we arrive it’s going to be a bit tumultuous for some time so I would rather you sleep as much as possible”

You can’t help but smile, cuddling closer against his skinny body. “Aww, you’re so sweet to me. Thank you, love~” you cooed.

In the beginning this kind of affection made L shrink away from you - especially in public - he wouldn’t fully separate himself from you but it was enough of a recoil that you could tell he was uncomfortable. Now, it was altogether different. Your affection was something he both welcomed and seemed to seek out the longer you were together. It was… really sweet to think of how far the two of you had come.

“Of course. It’s not as if the both of us can be insomniacs” he chuckled once more. It was a sort of self depreciative joke given your partner was an insomniac in every sense of the word and you had seen it fester into a problem on more than one occasion, but you could at least appreciate his concern for you.

“Yes, now that would be a problem. Watari can’t deal with two grumpy children, he has his hands full when we’re normal” you laughed and as you turned your face up to look at L, you would find a small smile on his as well.

“I suppose you might be right about that” he concurred. “But, speaking of sleep, how was yours? No nightmares, I hope?”

“Not this time, actually… it was a memory. I was dreaming about when we first met”

“Is that so? That time certainly has long since passed us at this point” L mused.

“I know, I thought it was strange too but… it’s actually kind of nice to think about. We’ve grown a lot since that time. I mean… I’m a completely different person now.”

“I think I can attest to that.” L agreed, nodding just so. “Comparing that time to now… I feel I have also changed in many ways”

“You definitely have. I think it’s all good things though”

“Mm? That so?”

“Mm-hm! You’re a lot more open with me now and I actually feel like I have your complete trust.” you beamed, pride filling up your heart to be able to admit such a thing.

“Well, you earned it. You’ve seen me through some of my… less impressive moments...” he stumbles a bit on admitting it. “...and you stayed. You didn’t betray the trust I put in you by letting you see those sides of me”

The recollection of those moments is no doubt painful but he seems to be smiling at the thought regardless. Smiling, perhaps, because you didn’t leave.

“Why would I ever? You gave me a chance to change my life when I thought everything was all but decided. I could never throw that away. Especially since it would’ve meant throwing you away. That’s something I wasn’t prepared to do”

He doesn’t say anything for a moment, instead he seems to just be softly smiling to himself. There were not many people who stayed in L’s life. There weren’t many who wanted to and then there weren’t many who could. Watari was there because he’d been there since the beginning, you on the other hand… you decided to stay even after your ‘contract’ so to speak, was over. By the end of everything you had come to realize that a world without him was a world you didn’t want. That was something new to him and you knew that.

“I’m glad” he said after a while, inching closer to you. “Because I don’t think I was prepared to let you go either”

Your heart feels warm and happy. There’s a permanent smile etched on your face. “Good, because I’m not going anywhere anytime soon”

You can feel the soft press of his lips against the top of your head. “That’s fine by me, love”

The rest of the flight went about the same way.

 

Which was nice because when you arrived, it would be far from a vacation. It may have looked that way to anyone on the outside as you checked into your pricey suite that was decked out to look as though royalty itself would be spending the night. But that, much like everything else, was only a cover to mask what was really going on.

Now, was when the wheels started to turn.


	3. The Creation of Noriko Walsh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Infiltration and disguise were your strong suits. You had an unmatched skill in changing yourself into the type of person perfect for any kind of situation. The most recent updates on the case require you to utilize these skills in an academic sense. 
> 
> If Kira was hypothesized to be a student, then that meant you would be too.

There were two things he had confirmed at that time. The culprit was in Kanto, Japan and that they were very likely a student. 

That last part was crucial. Student, as the term implied meant that Kira was in school at the moment. Which meant that as the only other person that regularly scoured different places of interest for the most famous detective in the world, you had some work to do.

\- - -

You leered over a mirror, pressing fake eyelashes to real ones and contouring your face until the familiarity of your features was so faint you barely recognized yourself. You turned away for but a brief moment to grab a bright ginger wig laying nearby and when you turned back to your reflection you actually jumped, at first not recognizing the stranger in the mirror.

Your previous line of work had taught you well how to disguise yourself but… it had been a while, admittedly. Recent cases hadn't required an intense amount of field work so only a minimal amount of concealment was necessary on your part.

But if you were going to be blending in with a large crowd that would know you by some name or another, that would see you daily, there must be no mistake that they wouldn't notice you out of this disguise.

"Well considering I've officially scared the shit out of myself, I think it's safe to say this is pretty good” you muse, laughing quietly to yourself.

You take a moment to adhere the wig to your forehead with some glue, pressing it firmly against your forehead. After that you lace up your boots and it's just about time for school.

“Well I'm heading out” you announce, now out of the bathroom. “Wish me luck.  It's been a while since I've done the school thing”

“I'm fairly certain you'll do just fine.” he's focused, typing away at his keyboard.   “You have yet to fail after all”

You chuckle, smiling at the  _ compliment _ as it were. “That's debatable but thank you anyway”

“You're quite welcome”

You should’ve taken that as your que to go but… you kind of wanted him to see the getup you'd gotten yourself into. So, carefully, you made your way over to him.You knelt beside him on the floor, looking over his shoulder at his computer screen. As usual there's numerous small windows scattered all over the screen. They looked to be articles that were featured on key elements pertaining to the case. How he manages to compartmentalize all of this information, in such clutter nonetheless, and never forget a damn thing is beyond you. Not that you weren't intelligent in your own regard but, obviously, you were nowhere near his level. The sheer magnitude of his comprehension of this world baffled you in the best of ways.

“I'll never understand how you have all this clutter and never miss a single thing” you laughed softly, stroking his ego just so. Little known fact about L, the greatest detective in the world, he liked to be reminded of his prowess every now and again. Not that you could blame him though.

You caught the slightest upturn of the corner of his mouth which only made you smile even wider.

“I suppose it's just easier for me this way. I feel anxious if I'm not looking at everything from all possible angles” he explained. Not that you hadn't heard this before but you didn't mind hearing it again.

“Fair enough, that makes sense to me” you giggled.

He turned to face you, presumably to say something but any words he had planned on coming out of his mouth fell short once he had you in his sight.

You couldn't help the mischievous glee that claimed your features at the expression on his face. It was priceless. Those huge, sunken in eyes widened considerably and his mouth had drawn into a taut line, trying to keep it from hanging agape at the vision before him. His eyes are trained on you and only you, looking over every bit of your new form.

“Ta-da!” you grinned, waving your hands to emphasize the exclamation. “You barely recognize me, huh?”

“This is quite a remarkable disguise.” he gathered himself for a moment, if only just to speak and not look so dumbstruck. “I don't think I've seen this persona before?”

“Not exactly, but she’s based off of Carl” you explained.

You had a wide variety of disguises for different missions, all tailored to fit the specifics of that mission. You found it easier to commit to character if you actually gave these disguises names and personas. You’d been men, women and everything in between.

“The one from the nightclub incident?”

“Yup! I figured he went over so well in blending in and gathering information that it might be a good idea to reuse his characteristics” you smiled.

“I see. Have you given this one a name?” his eyes continued to slowly move over your new form, as if committing this new look to memory. You were used to it at this point though. A familiar characteristic of your lover was his wandering, studying eyes.

“Mhm! She’s going to be Noriko Walsh, that’s the name I had them forge on the documents”

“Walsh?” his eyebrows perked in what could only be described as confusion. “That’s an Irish surname though, is it not? Why that one?”

“Well for one the wig” you pointed to the warm, ginger hair on top of your head, laughing just slightly. “And in this disguise I don’t really look like a typical Japanese student so I figured it might be a better idea to have two nationalities so that I’m not questioned”

“Hmm” he thought for a moment. “You really have thought this through, haven’t you?” there’s this bit of pride hiding somewhere in that monotone of his and it made your heart jump just to get even the smallest ear of it.

Not that being proud of you was something he rarely expressed but… you just liked to know that he was. You were equal in your relationship - as it should be - but nothing alike in your talents, and while that was something that didn’t seem to bother him very much, you on the other hand found yourself often stressed over it. You didn’t want to lag behind.

A part of you knew he wouldn’t care even if you did, you were here - now anyway - for far more intimate reasons than just to be his field mouse. Even if you couldn’t do that anymore you felt reassured that he wouldn’t just toss you away. In fact this was something you  _ knew _ without a shadow of a doubt. He really was a rather emotional man deep down and you don’t think he had the heart to get rid of someone he loved for something so small. However, you wanted to keep up with him. You wanted to stay by his side every step of the way. So you were always, always trying.

“Don’t I always?” you grinned. “Wouldn’t be a very good disguise if it’s not thought out, yeah?”

“I suppose that’s true, you have a point”

You want to respond but it was at that moment you felt your phone buzzing in your pocket. After having pulled it out you noticed that it was Watari’s number displayed on your screen. You were confused for a moment, at least until you noticed the time. 

  
“Ah shit” you hissed. “I completely forgot I was supposed to be leaving now. School starts in like twenty-five minutes”

“Better get a move on then. You know Watari doesn’t like to be kept waiting”

“Yeah, like father like son” you giggled.

Every time you said something to that effect you noticed the smallest hint of bashfulness in L’s eyes and in his body language. Now was no different. It was like it was something that he felt deep inside but was afraid of admitting out loud for whatever reason. But you saw the connection immediately. How Watari was selflessly devoted to this young man, far beyond just because he was the world’s current super genius. He loved him and cared about him, and it was obvious L felt the same.

“I’m never going to get you to stop saying that, am I?” he sighed, eyes finally shrinking away from you.

“Nope. Sorry darling” you giggled once more. “Anyway, gotta go”

You leaned forward pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Of course, since you were wearing lipstick, that left a huge mark on his face but you honestly couldn’t help but think that was a good look on him. Mainly because it was a reminder of your lips on his face but hey, details, right? 

“Don’t work too hard and oh - you might wanna wash that off later” 

“Just get going” it’s not demanding or exasperated but it’s enough that you get the hint. ‘Enough teasing for now’ he seems to say but it’s not without a hint of tenderness, which is displayed in those deep onyx eyes.

“Already on my way” you confirmed, having picked yourself up off the ground to make your way to the door. You grabbed a bag left by it earlier this morning and toss it over your shoulder.

“Love you” you call over your shoulder and it’s only after you heard the words returned to you that you shut the door to the room.

Your phone goes off in your pocket once again and once you’re in the elevator you pull it out and answer it. “Hey, sorry, I’m on my way down now”

Watari’s disgruntled voice echoes through the line. “I know you have not been in school for quite some time now but you ought to remember that it makes a rather sore impression to be late on the first day”

You rolled your eyes, trying to control the sarcasm in your tone. It was a futile effort but at least you tried. “Yeah, I know mom, sorry”

You hear him sigh on the other end of the line. “Just get down here as quick as possible”

“Already getting out of the elevator” and with a click of a button the phone was off and back in your pocket.

There’s hotel employees and patrons scattered about the lobby, some checking in, some checking out and some were just loitering about probably waiting for a cab or some other such form of transportation. It was then, amongst all those people, that you could test out how Noriko walked in this world. Given you were recycling her behavior from a previous persona that was rather friendly and cheerful, you decided it would only make sense for her to walk upright, with a smile and a lightness in her step.

And so you did. You notice almost immediately the reaction of the chemicals in the air. The moment your feet started to skip and the smile you contorted onto your face had quite a few people turning to look your way. 

  
“Good morning, miss” the receptionist smiled, giving you a small wave. “I hope your evening found you well” 

“It did actually!” you beamed. “The beds are so comfortable, you guys run a great establishment here!”

“Wonderful! I’ll be sure to pass that along to my manager”

“Please do! Oh, and do tell him he’s got a wonderful receptionist on board today, as well” you winked, sending a cheeky grin her way.

She laughed and said her thanks as you made your way closer to the door. You’re greeted by a few more people with smiles and good mornings before you even got outside. It’s kind of amazing really, what posture and the small manipulation of an aura can do for a person.

But of course, this wasn’t your favorite thing. You weren’t nasty by nature, you were prone to being more agreeable but not… this agreeable. By the end of the day you were sure the small bits of social anxiety that lurked within the nooks and crannies of your bones would come out to dance and wear you out in their waltz. But that was part of the gig and you knew that. Hopefully, you wouldn’t have to say too much. Just keep up appearances and investigate. That was your job.

Finally, after having smiled your way out of the hotel, you arrived at the car that was waiting for you. That also had a very impatient Watari inside. You hoped you didn’t get too much of an earful, considering you did still have just enough time to make it. You knock on the window just so, to get his attention.

He rolled down the window and leaned over just a bit so that he didn’t have to speak too loudly. But what he had to say, was absolutely priceless.

“I’m sorry miss but I’m afraid I’m not a taxi. I’m waiting for a certain someone to arrive”

Your hand flew to your mouth in effort to not make a scene, a shrieking laugh threatening to erupt from your throat. He seriously did not recognize you at all! Given he too had not seen this disguise yet it was an easy mistake to make but all the same you couldn’t help but want to laugh. Instead you were vehemently snickering into your hand.

  
“I beg your pardon” he coughed, clearly offended. “But what are you laughing at, young miss?” 

It took a moment but you managed to stall your laughter enough to speak. “You really don’t recognize me, huh?”

The old man is confused for a moment, quirking a bushy eyebrow at you… before all at once you see that expression change right before your eyes, this look of shocked realization settling into his features.

“Is it really you?” he mumbles. “I know you have an affinity for these things but this is one I’ve yet to see”

“Yeah she’s new. But we can talk about that on the way, yeah? We’re going to be late”

“I did say that not but a little while ago, did I not?” he chides, lowering his expression into one of judgement. 

  
You smiled sheepishly. “I know, I’m sorry” 

He pops open the lock to the car. “It’s fine but be sure not to make a habit of this” he said once you were inside.

You laughed, trying to lighten the mood “I’ll certainly give it my best shot”

“Very good” Watari nods, putting the car in gear and driving off. “Now, what is this character you have on? Is this who you’re planning to be for the remaining half a year of school?”

“Uh-uh” you smiled. “Her name is Noriko Walsh”

You went on to explain to Watari, in greater detail, what you had told L earlier about this disguise. Here and there, when you found yourself stumbling over minor details about her backstory, Watari would chime in with a helpful idea about how to bridge the gaps.

The car ride continued on much that way until you finally reached the school, right on time as well. 

You looked out the window, taking in the scenery of the school. The campus was huge and the building was built just as tall. It was amazing really, how just the architecture alone seemed to exude the kind of talent and pride held within this school. There’s a huge sign that reads ‘Daikoku Private Academy’. The sheer magnitude of the place was enough to cause a ruckus in your stomach and it was only enhanced once you saw the large crowd of students making their way inside of the academy. 

One of those students was most likely Kira… and you had to weed through all of that mass to find them, with the most minimal information. This would certainly be a challenge.

"Well, I suppose you should get going” Watari spoke. “You’ll be late, otherwise”

“Yeah… guess you’re right…” you took a breath.

“____” Watari spoke in a whisper. The use of your real name in such a public setting immediately grabs your attention and you turn to look at the old man.

His face looks much the same as it always does. Calm, composed but… there’s something gentle in the air this time. “I believe I have said this at one time or another but I feel it’s important to reiterate. Since the moment you joined L and I, your involvement has been invaluable. I don’t doubt that will continue to be true, even now” 

There’s this swelling feeling in your heart. It’s something that feels like burning but it doesn’t hurt. It’s just warm and powerful, it engulfs your entire being. It’s a light flame igniting in your chest cavity - it’s a sense of pride, of belonging. Even with your stomach turning in on itself this feeling is enough to quell  _ that feeling  _ if only just so.

A smile stretched out across your face. “Thanks, Watari”

He nods, slow and confident. In this moment he really looks like a father sending his kid off to school for the first time. “You best get going, now”

“Right.” you smiled, returning his nod. “See you in a few hours”

You helped yourself out of the car, grabbing your bag and shutting the door behind you. You watched as Watari drives off, until the car is out of your line of vision. It’s with a mixed sense of feeling that you turn back to the looming building before you. There’s a fire in your chest and a hole in your stomach but… it had to be done.

You take a step forward, which turns into more steps and soon enough you’re merging with the group of students heading inside of the academy.

It was time to get to work.

________________

  
The first order of business was, of course, introductions. You'd transferred in as a third year just a little after the start of the school year and as such you were bound to be an abnormality in the classroom - especially given your disguise. 

So there you stood at the front of the class, looking out into a sea of eyes and faces that stared right back at you. The feeling is more than unnerving, especially as they begin to whisper about your bright ginger hair and general appearance.

“I don't think they're from around here..” one girl whispered to her friend.

“Obviously you idiot” the friend sighed. “That's why they're a  _ transfer _ student”

“Oh my God Touko, you know what I mean. Look at their hair!”

“It could just be dyed?”

“Looks pretty natural to me”

The conversation evokes a sense of pride within you. This is exactly the kind of reaction that you wanted. The way you thought about it - if you stood out you were bound to attract more attention and that meant more channels to navigate through. Say Kira was a popular student, then you could navigate that group. Or say Kira was more reclusive and to themselves, you could navigate that too. You had more than enough room to act as you saw fit and you'd blend in well enough that you could carry on with your investigation without being suspicious.

Soon enough the teacher addressed the classroom, quieting them.

“Alright class, we have a new student joining us today.” the teacher turned to you with a warm smile. “Why don't you introduce yourself?”

“Right, thank you” you nodded.

Despite the nerves your voice is bright and bubbly. Your face relaxes into an expression that could most accurately be described as ‘perpetual contentedness’. Your goal was to be as approachable as possible and you figured this was as good a time as any to start.

“Hello everyone! My name is Noriko Walsh. I've just moved here to Japan so I'm looking forward to getting to know you all!”

There's a resounding wave of “nice to meet you, Noriko” and you're feeling more  at ease. At least this group of students seemed to be pretty easy.

Now, the next part of indicting yourself into the classroom was of course being assigned a seat. Naturally because of this the person you had been chosen to sit behind was of no consequence to you. It was just another part of assimilation into this classroom.

“Mr. Yagami? Could you please raise your hand”

At that time the name Light Yagami meant nothing special to you.  

“Oh, yes of course”

At that time the young man who raised his hand, the one with short brown hair and perfect posture, was no more and no less likely to be Kira than anyone else in that room.

“Noriko, you can take your seat behind, Mr. Yagami”

A polite nod, a short walk and your body in a seat a few minutes later, marked the beginning of your investigation.

You didn’t know it then but your target was much closer than you thought. One could even say…

 

it was right in front of you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo-hoo! You've made it to the third chapter!! This is all I have for the moment but expect updates in the next two weeks or so! 
> 
> I've had this story floating around in my head for a while now and at first it was just a thing I was writing for my own entertainment because I wanted to explore the sides of L that I'm sure exist but aren't seen directly. That and I love him, how can you not? LOL I originally wasn't going to post it because it's very heavy in how I presume L to act around a partner he's known for a long time and i'm afraid it might come off as OOC at times but so far I'm comfortable enough with how I'm portraying everything that I thought it might be fun to post! 
> 
> Anyway, let me know what you guys think! I promise the reader's backstory will be cleared up as the chapters go on, in much the same format as chapter two so don't worry! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Tell me the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've observed every student in your class and as the days turn to weeks, you wonder if any of the average people in your class could possibly be Kira. 
> 
> You get your answer once you start paying a little more attention. 
> 
> And one day that attention is returned to you, your new target engages you in conversation.

Over the course of the next few weeks you remained vigilant and cautious. You kept up your friendly smiles and sweet demeanor as a means to get closer to your classmates and every student you came into contact with at that school. Lessons taught by teachers were just static noise in the back of your mind as you observed their behaviors and mannerisms. All in all most of them seemed like normal high school students. Average intelligence and dwindling interest in the lessons as the days pressed on, only attempting to listen because the fear of entrance exams loomed somewhere in the back of their minds. 

Nothing special or worthy of note, you thought to yourself. 

However, as the days ticked on and clumps of hours turned into weeks of hours you noticed something… interesting; or rather it would suffice to say someone interesting. 

He excelled in what seemed to be everything, in a manner that could only be described as effortless. When the class fell silent, everyone’s breath short on an answer for the previous night’s reading, he was the one called up to bat. The teacher would sigh and begrudgingly ask the brown-haired boy with the perfect posture and carefully placed tone to answer, and he would stand and recite the perfect response.

Yet, every time you had the supreme misfortune to be caught in those eyes of his you could always see yourself reflected clearly, like a window pane - like glass. Silent shivers rumbled down your spine as you could see no essence of himself in his own eyes, just a mirror of yourself stared back at you. You wondered how the student body missed this. How he could so easily be hailed as a genius, and the girls would flock to him all without question, without even a whisper about those glossy eyes of his. It was unnerving, to feel like he was looking right at you and yet beyond you as well. 

The name of this student sat well in good flavor on the tip of everyone’s tongue. Light Yagami. The person you had dubbed ‘glass eyes’ more than once in the presence of L. The boy you had been assigned to sit behind since day one. 

You would watch as he stared out the window on particularly dreary days, seemingly searching for anything to grab his attention, and yet even as it appeared that he was lost in his own head he could quickly formulate the perfect reaction for everything anyone ever asked of him. You had to wonder… was Kira this type of person? 

Possibly, you thought, and you had learned that any inkling of possibility was one worth pursuing, even if it ended in a bust. 

So you responded by becoming more vocal in class. The times where the room fell silent, distressed eyes searching that of their friends’ for anything that might end the awkward moment, you would speak up just before the professor defaulted to her safety-net-student. 

The first time it happened, when you raised your hand effectively interrupting the flow of the norm, everyone just stopped and gawked at you. Even the teacher looked at you as though you had set the entire equilibrium of that classroom off kilter - even Light had turned ever so slightly in his seat to cast a bewildered glance at you over his shoulder. Students who normally didn’t have much to say searched your expression with eyes of of their own that seemed to beckon why on earth you would want the responsibility of answering this question when Light could have just done it and the time would move on. 

“I’m sorry, I just think it’s a bit unfair to make Light answer everything when I actually know a fair bit about what we’re discussing” you had said at that time before moving on to answer the question. 

The second time the reaction was similar but the severity was far more subdued and it continued on much that way until it was the new normal. More and more it seemed to be that you and Light were deemed as the more intelligent ones in the class; and while you wouldn’t count yourself among the elites of the world (having been dating such an elite for three - going on four - years now) you wouldn’t say you weren’t intelligent either. Which worked in your favor because it seemed to be that smart people garnered Light’s attention. The more time passed the more you started noticing that you weren’t just part of the wallpaper in his eyes anymore. That he would actually turn part way to face you when you answered questions in class, curious of what you had to say. 

Today was no different. 

“Can anyone tell me what sort of impression the author wants you to take away from this scene?” 

You wait for a moment in the silence. 

No one says a thing and when the teacher sighs, frustrated, that’s when your hand goes up. “Actually Mrs. Kiyami, I think I could” 

She nodded. “Ah, yes, Noriko. Please go on then”

“Well judging by the general tone of the mood and some of the objects that are explicitly pointed out to us it’s my guess that the author wanted us to take away some sense of self fulfillment even in dark times. The main character has just moved away from his abusive family and while it’s a good step, that family is all he knows” you explained.

“The recurring mention of an empty apartment shows that the main character feels like he has lost something, that he’s bare in ways. But it also symbolizes a blank slate, a new beginning. We can draw the conclusion from the light that beams in through the window in the last paragraph that while this change might be hard for him it’s the start of something he can make into a worthwhile adventure” 

“Very well put, Noriko. That was exactly the answer I was looking for” the teacher rewarded you with an approving smile. 

The teacher then regarded the entire class once more, fit to carry on the lesson now that student participation had been taken care of. Following that, the eyes of the student body that had been trained on you during your explanation soon returned back to the teacher. Though, it would appear not everyone was equally quick to the task and it’s hard to miss how Light’s lingered on you for just a moment longer than everyone else’s. In the few moments that you could see his expression you noticed hints of curiosity and observation. 

Looks like your plan was working after all. 

That day continued on much the same as they had in the previous weeks. You looked for little pockets of opportunity to insert yourself into this boy’s world. 

Finally, your hard work paid off. 

It was about five minutes before the end of the day and you were gathering up your school books and other such materials before you heard a gentle, poised voice beckon your attention. Tilting your head up from the bag you were rummaging around in, your eyes soon met those of your current target. They were familiar, glassy and unnerving as ever.

Light Yagami was talking to you, wearing a truly curious expression that you didn’t quite know how to feel about. 

“Oh, hello Light” you beamed, a sense of accomplishment swirling in your stomach. “Did you need something?” 

“Not particularly. It just occurred to me earlier during class that we've been sitting next to each other for a while now since you transferred, and we've barely said two words to each other” he chuckled, politely. “So I guess I wanted to rectify that” 

“Oh yeah, I suppose you're right about that.” you agreed. “It's a little unnerving being in a new country so I've only really spoken to a few of our classmates here and there. Sorry about that” 

You knew you were apologizing for absolutely nothing but in situations like this it paid to be the smallest bit submissive. It made you look more agreeable and it certainly gave Light the initiative to continue the conversation. 

“That's nothing to apologize for. I can only imagine how uneasy it must make you feel to be in an entirely new country full of strangers” 

“Yeah, it gets to be a little trying sometimes but I'm doing the best I can” you chuckle, feigning a sheepish tone. “But to be honest I'm glad you said something! I've been wanting to talk to you for a while” 

“Oh?” his expression reads surprise, like he genuinely wasn't expecting that response. “Why is that?” 

“Forgive me if this is too forward but you seem interesting” you smiled, further lacing up his attention around your finger. “I'm always a bit taken back by your answers in class. You always know just what to say” 

He laughed at that, waving his hand dismissively, the glassy look in his eyes gleaned over in something that tried not to appear prideful but was in every manner of observation. “I just do the homework. I imagine if everyone else was a bit more prone to participation I probably wouldn't look all that impressive.” 

Somehow you doubted that. 

“Although, I guess we’re both in the same boat on that” 

You quirked an eyebrow up at his sudden statement, curious. “How so?”

“I suppose I wanted to talk to you because you seem interesting too.” there's something of a soft smirk on his face. “You've made the classroom far more lively than it used to be” 

You'd grown out of the wallpaper, so to speak. Looked like your plan was working after all. 

“That so? Well I'm glad the feeling is mutual, at least. That way I don’t look like a total creep” you laughed. 

The sudden buzzing of the school bell alerts you to the ending of the day and while you were a bit disappointed to have to cut this conversation short, progress had been made. 

“Hey listen, I'm sure we both have to go but maybe we could continue this another time?” you asked, a hopeful gleam in your eyes. 

“Of course, I think that's a great idea” he smiled, an expression you’re sure had caught countless people’s heart in a flutter. 

“So tomorrow then?” 

“Tomorrow it is” 

You smiled, hiding something prideful yourself behind the friendly expression you’d trained ‘Noriko’ to wear. “I’ll see you then” 

\-------------------------------------------- 

“Holy crap” 

A loud sigh erupts out of your mouth as you slump yourself onto the couch. Your head lands just beside your lover’s thigh, careful not to disrupt his furious searching even in your tired state. 

“Long day?” 

“Long day” you nodded, eyes slipping closed in your exhaustion. “Made some progress though” 

“Is that so? In what way, darling?” L’s one hand drifts from his laptop, tangling in your hair and gently scratching at the itchiness left attached to your scalp from a full day of wearing a wig.

You hum softly, craning into the feeling. “Well, remember that student I’d been telling you about? The one with the glassy expression?” 

“Ah yes, Light Yagami, was it?” he’s completely invested but still very much trained on the computer in his lap. 

“Yeah that’s the one. I finally got him to talk to me. Looks like being a smartass caught his attention after all, told me I was ‘interesting’ “ 

“That’s great news actually” he said it in a tone that you recognized as thoughtful confirmation’ as if there was pieces of the puzzle that has suddenly clicked into place by the mention of this information. 

“Mm?” you popped an eye open to regard him curiously. 

“The Chief of the Japanese Police force happens to be Soichiro Yagami, your target’s father” 

At this point both of your eyes shot open, rolling up as far as they could to catch L in their sights. He’d stopped scratching at your head, but in the wake of this news it was for good cause. “Wait, for real?” 

He nodded. “It would appear that just after I pitched the idea of Kira being a student, criminals all over Japan started dying every hour on the hour. What do you make of that?” 

“Seriously?! That would mean…” the thoughts race through your mind, weaving together in one thick strand of confirmation. “That could only mean that someone who has access to your meetings with the police either is or is feeding information to Kira” 

L nodded, pleased with your answer as it seemed to confirm a theory of his own. “That is precisely the conclusion I had come to. Which means that Kira is either someone in the police or someone related to an officer” 

“Then that would mean Light Yagami is even more of a potential suspect, with evidence to support the idea. Something beyond just my intuition, yeah?” 

“This is true but I wouldn’t be so quick to count out your natural understanding of the human condition. You have a unique gift when it comes to comprehending different types of people and what type of person they might be. All this information does is help to solidify something you had already hypothesized” 

You feel the warmth bubble up in your chest, overtaken with adoration at the compliment. You revel in it for the moment, but keep the conversation going. 

“You’re sweet and I appreciate that but even so, this doesn’t necessarily mean that he is the one, right? We should still keep our mind’s open to other possibilities?” 

“Of course, that’s exactly what it means. However, one lead is better than no leads. At least we have something to focus on even more so now” 

“I suppose you’re right. Well, I guess it’s a good thing I’ve actually caught the attention of mister glass eyes, huh?” 

A soft chuckle floats out of L’s mouth as he finally turns his gaze from the computer and down to you, a gentle expression in his eyes. “Yes, it is. Do be careful though, won’t you?” 

His hand returns to wrap itself in your hair, gently clawing at your scalp once more. A soft, sweet gaze of love made itself at home in your eyes, accompanied by a dreamy smile that slipped ever so easily onto your lips. 

“Don’t worry” you chuckled. “I will..” 

You pull his long, somehow incredibly gorgeous fingers down to your mouth, gently kissing at the pad of his ring and index finger as if in declaration of promise, followed by the palm of his hand - where you solidified such an idea. When you pulled his hand back, once again letting it rest on your forehead you can see this tenderness settling in around those striking black eyes of his. That had to be your favorite expression of his.  
  
“That’s all I ask… oh, and by the way, while I’m thinking of it I wanted to ask you something” 

You quirk an eyebrow up at him. “Yes, dear?” 

“If memory serves you used to refer to my eyes as glassy many years ago, yes?” 

You chuckle, thinking back on such a memory. “Actually love, if you want to be specific, I said they looked dead” 

You see the tender look phase over into something of mild annoyance at the correction, clearly much preferring the initial interpretation of that memory. “I see…” 

“But!” you interrupted, breaking out into a wide smile. The hand of your left arm rises, cupping his cheek in your hand. “They’re very bright now. They remind me of the vastness of space and the comfort of the night… and you know how much I love the moon, don’t you?” 

That tender look returns once more, regarding you with such love and affection that you could not help the jump in your heart and the weakness in your legs. It was a feeling you wouldn’t trade for the world and to be looked at like this, by the man who had given you your life back, was a moment you absolutely could never bargain for. 

“Yes, I might recall…” he whispers, pressing a kiss to your palm, mimicking your own actions from earlier. “I believe we were stargazing when we had our first kiss…” 

“Mmm, that we were” you grin, reminiscing on the sweet memory. “All the more reason I love night time” 

“I think that’s a very good reason” L agreed, gently lacing his fingers in between the ones on his cheek. 

“Glad you think so” you echo. The two of you stayed like that for a while, just gazing into each other's eyes and softly brushing fingers. It was a rare moment you didn't get during hard cases like this and so you would relish it for as long as time allowed. 

Unfortunately however, the moment soon passes as L's computer beeps gently, alerting him to the presence of new information regarding the Kira case. Slowly you removed your hand from his face - even though you would have held him like that all day if time allowed - and flipped yourself over so that you were now lying somewhat on your stomach, hands folded underneath you as you rest your head on his leg. 

“So, before I came in, what were you looking at?” 

“Ah, well, you see…” he went on to explain the different articles scattered across his screen as well as filled you in on the missed conversations between himself and the NPA. You stayed like that much into the evening, only stopping once prompted by Watari to eat something. 

“Even bread and butter would suffice at this point, you can’t exist on coffee and tea alone” the old man would sigh and you would laugh and beckon L into the kitchen, convincing him that Kira would very much be there after dinner. 

Which… was the problem. 

Kira would be there after dinner and for many suppers after wards. Just how long would this investigation stay so cozy before the two of you found yourself in the wolves’ territory? You didn’t know it at the time. But you would come to find out that you had already stepped foot in it… inching closer and closer into the den. 

Who was to say what would happen when you found the beast…


	5. The Nature of Progression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend the next while getting to know Light and what kind of person he is. Could this high school boy really be Kira? He certainly seemed to have the brain for it. 
> 
> In the background the investigation moves forward in a way you hadn't expected.

In an effort to make good on his promise Light had indeed talked to you the day after your mutual introductions. He gave you a short hello during the morning and now that it was lunchtime he strayed away from his normally chosen solitude to have a conversation with you.

“So, what brought you to Japan, anyway?” brown eyes scan your own for any hint of an answer.

“Well my mom got this amazing job offer that she couldn’t refuse. We were falling a bit on hard times so the new scenery and the pay raise was a welcome change” you ‘explained’, effortlessly committing to character and the backstory you had formulated for Noriko.

“Is that so? Where did you come from before? Ireland?”

“With a name like Walsh, how could I not?” you laughed, earning a chuckle from the boy in front of you.

“But you speak Japanese almost perfectly and your first name isn’t particularly Irish, either” he observed, curious as ever.

“I get the Irish from my dad, my mom is Japanese. She taught me the language growing up and even as I got older she made sure we kept it around the house so I could speak to my relatives”

The look in his eyes seemed to detect no traces of forgery in your story, in fact his expression remained interested.

“What about you Light? You’ve been asking me all these questions but you haven’t said a thing about yourself”

“Oh, yeah” he chuckled, somewhat sheepishly. “I guess that’s because there’s nothing really to say. I’m just a typical high school student”

“Yeah, typical high school student at the top of your class and almost the whole region” you teased, quirking a knowing eyebrow in his direction.

“You noticed that, huh?” on the surface he looked almost embarrassed to have it brought up but upon closer inspection you don’t miss the bits of pride sprinkled in that politely trained expression.

“I mean it’s all over the scoreboards, how could I not? I bet your parents must be proud, yeah?”

“I’d be lying if I said they weren’t. Although they’re the ones who instilled those values in me. They taught me from a young age to work hard and learn so I’ve never really known anything different”

Defaulting to the parents. It’s like inverse bragging. Instead of just admitting he’s smart he’s treading around the idea but admitting it also, you thought, taking a bite of rice as he spoke.

“They sound like good parents. It’s good to teach your kids those values, I’ve known my fair share of friends who didn’t really have that, so I’m glad you do”

Your mind drifts to a place that was most certainly not Ireland with your make believe mom and dad. Instead the image very much looks like a cold, unfeeling prison full of kids that had been raised to know nothing more than to follow the pack and complete the dangerous missions entrusted to them. They were expected to know death from an early age and to know how to deal with being the cause of it as well.

You and those kids spent many nights rocking in corners convincing yourselves ‘it’s okay they were bad people, they needed to be killed.’ It didn’t matter that the drug dealer had a family or that the mobster took in orphaned kids. It didn’t matter that the other mercenaries looked so much like you that you could see their tired eyes when you looked in the mirror.

Your conversation continues on, arbitrary and trivial but your mind was wandering anyway, so it was a good start at least.

 

\-----Two Weeks Later-----

 

“Hey Light, what did you make of the reading last night?” you inquired, tapping him on the shoulder just as lunch time began.

“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question” he smiled, turning in his seat to face you.

“You tell me what you thought first and then I’ll tell you what I thought” you proposed, to which he agreed to, nodding his head in return.

He pulled out the book from his bag. It’s got a thin spine with small letters and an intriguing plot about a young man who gets mixed up in the mafia. He’s stuck between his moral dilemma of handing these people in because of the amount of blood they’ve got on their hands and the subsequent family he finds in the crooks. The members are rather quirky in nature and start treating the protagonist like family after only the first few chapters, something he’s yet to know due to his toxic relationship with his biological family.

One of the questions you were meant to answer for an upcoming assignment was your opinion of what the main character should do. Should he forfeit his newfound happiness in favor of doing right by the law or should he stay with them and find meaning in this circumstance?

“It’s hard to completely make up my mind right now since we’re only halfway through but given what we’ve seen I would say the protagonist should turn them in. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your own feelings for the well being of others and in the grander scheme of things, even the world” Light answered, flipping through some of the pages.

The response… hit somewhere in the mental file cabinet you’d been keeping for the Kira case. Now, maybe you were picking at straws right now but if you had the chance to pick Kira’s brain on their response to this question, you imagined it might be something eerily similar to Light’s. ‘Sacrifice feelings for the well being of others.’ That seemed to be the attitude much of the general public had assigned to Kira. A benevolent God punishing criminals, even if it meant taking a life.

You keep the comparison in the back of your mind.

“I suppose you might be right but I can see why someone might lean the other way as well” you gently opposed. “You could call the protagonist selfish for turning a blind eye to the murders and general chaos the mafia causes just because they treat him like a person… but you might also call him sensitive and lost” you explained.

“Have you ever had a friend that was a bit problematic but in the end meant well? Have you ever had trouble letting that friend go?” you asked.

Light is quiet for a moment, mulling over your question. “I can’t exactly say that I have. It sounds… incredibly boring but most of the people I talk to think similarly enough to me that I haven’t exactly had that experience”

“Do you think you don’t think problematic things, Light? Would you say that everyone you interact with is the same?” you egged, using this time to see what you could prob out of that brain of his.

“Now hold on I never said that. Everyone is capable of thinking problematic things and as per human nature I’m sure we all have at some point. I just meant that I don’t talk to anyone outwardly problematic”

“Well then, let me ask you this. What do you consider problematic?”

He’s quiet again, mulling over his choice of words and in fact… he seemed a bit hesitant to answer.

But after a while he does anyway.

“I suppose it’s a rather obvious answer but as far as people who I would associate within my age range, the type of people I would consider problematic are bullies. Those who intimidate or mock people for no reason at all”

Bullies…. could you logically equate them to criminals? Statistically speaking there are high reports of bullies later becoming common criminals like thieves and even more serious ones like murderers and even rapists but… were you reaching for straws again?

“That makes sense, yeah. So let’s get hypothetical then. Say you had a friend who was a bully. Someone nasty and mean but they treated you with respect and kindness, like a person - something you’re not used to. What would you do in that situation?”

“I suppose I might try to get them to change, to see the error of their ways. I can’t see myself being so blinded by a friendship that I would enable that person to continue what they’re doing. If they weren’t able to change… well, it’s as I said before. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. It’s just how the world works”

Reasonable answer. Any logically thinking person would come to that conclusion. “Fair enough”

“What about you? From what I gathered earlier it seemed like you leant the other way” he asked, bringing the conversation around back to its starting point before the deviation.

“Hmm? Yeah, I guess I kind of do. From the few escapades we have seen from the mafia they aren’t… well, they aren’t dealing with completely innocent people and I think that’s where the protagonist’s dilemma is. If they were just going out and killing civilians and robbing churches then I might say that the protagonist is a little drunk on delusion but… when we first meet them they literally save him from a prostitution ring. They don’t deal with quote on quote ‘good’ people, they deal with others like them. Fire against fire”

“I can understand that line of thinking but on the flipside, what happens when innocent people are caught in the crossfire?”

This time your tongue is caught in your mouth. “I suppose… I don’t know. I think that’s when you really have to start making the distinction between sacrifice or committing to the crimes”

“Which arrives us back to the original question on what the main character should do” Light reminded you.

“Haha, I suppose you’re right, we came full circle.”

“So what do you think? Do you think he should stay?”

You stayed silent for a moment, mulling over your options. You could say what you really thought - that in this book the concept of the mafia was much like L in that he sometimes used criminal means to put the actual criminals away and that was a practice you had very much committed yourself to but….not only was that incredibly stupid to say you also needed Light to think that he could change your mind if he happened to be Kira, if he needed a confidant. Noriko needed to be malleable, and she wouldn’t be if you said what you really thought.

“Hmm… I guess I’m not sure. You really got me thinking, Light. Tell you what, give me until the end of the year to really think it over once we’ve finished reading it and then I’ll tell you”

You noticed, once again, the glimmer of pride in his eyes. Only this time it’s accompanied by a look of intrigue.

“Sure, I’ll look forward to hearing what you have to say then”

 

\-----Four Months Later------

 

“Hey Noriko, are you alright?”

You tried to muster up your normal chutzpah, despite the fact that an entirely sleepless night had been plaguing you. Normally sleepless nights came with the job, it was like an unwelcome package deal, but this last night had particularly grueling anxieties stalling in the pit of your stomach throughout the duration of it. Despite this you put on your best attempt at a cheerful, bright smile and answered.

“Hmm...? Yeah, I’m fine” a blatant lie. You weren’t fine at all but the details of why were things that were very confidential.

You couldn’t exactly explain to Light that the night previous had leant itself to be so taxing because of the fact that all of the FBI agents L sent in absolute secrecy to investigate the NPA had died in a single day. From the moment you had heard the news to the moment you had to leave for school you had been working around the clock with your partner to find any kind of link at all that could connect you to Kira, to avenge these agents. You searched and searched but at the end of the day…. your palms turned up empty.

To have lost that many lives over what was supposed to be an intelligence gathering mission… it was truly depressing and infuriating and while you felt all those things yourself, you could certainly feel them emanating off of your partner as well. That atmosphere was what drove you to stay awake far into the hours of the morning and at this point you’d far surpassed a twenty-four hour cycle. L did it all the time but sleep was something that evaded him at the best of times and you… well you were normal in that regard, you needed sleep. He had told you more than once to go at least take a nap but you were stubborn and now you reaped the consequences for it. Which brought you back to the current dilemma.

Light, in return, didn’t appear to be convinced by your response in the slightest, tweaking an eyebrow at you as he searched your tired face with those glassy, brown eyes of his. “You sure about that? You look exhausted”

Conveniently a viable excuse was within your reach as it dawned on you that there was a test today, a major one. “Oh, I was just up late studying. I kind of get… test anxiety I guess you could say?”

You’re lying through your teeth but he seems to be buying it, brows furrowing in something that ...looks like concern? Light didn’t make many faces aside from his polite smiles and this truly placid expression you caught him wearing most of the time; those glassy eyes of his really shone through during that time, making you feel like you were caught in a funhouse mirror with no way out. Which is why this new emotion he was expressing was particularly perplexing.

Regardless, you continued. “I know I know the material but the minute someone starts quizzing me I feel like it flies out the window”

Somewhere in the depths of your mind a small, humorous thought about how Light probably never dealt with such anxieties bloomed, earning a mental chuckle from you.

“Ah, yeah that makes sense. I haven’t dealt with that before but I’ve seen others who have had pretty severe test anxiety”

Yup, you were right.

“Normally they turn out just fine, though.” he continued, a rare moment of reassurance from your new ‘friend.’ “My advice would be to not second guess yourself. You know you’re well versed in the material so the first thought that comes to mind on what the answer might be, is probably the right one”

That actually… was rather comforting. You’d yet to experience that with Light, normally it was debates about books and other such intelligent conversation, never him comforting you or vice versa.

“Hm… I’ll try to keep that in mind” you concurred, forming a sweet smile on your face. “But honestly if I don’t get a nap, I don’t think I’m even going to stay awake through the test”

Light laughed softly at that, an agreement to your tired whine. “Take a nap then”

“I would looove to” you sighed, exasperated. “But won’t I get in trouble?”

“It’s lunchtime, I don’t think they can fault you for doing anything that’s not disruptive. Besides, if you want I’ll keep a lookout. If it looks like the teacher’s getting antsy, I’ll wake you up”

“Yeah? You’d do that?”

“Sure, it’s no trouble for me. I can just study in the meantime”

“Light Yagami, modern hero” you chuckled, which earned the same reaction from him. “Thank you though, I appreciate it”

Somewhere you could hear him echo back a “no problem” but the minute your head hit that desk your brain turned off and you all but instantly fell asleep. Light might be Kira, it’s an entirely plausible idea, but in that moment he felt very much like a concerned friend - one that you desperately needed in that moment.

The development was… interesting to say the least. You had to wonder, in the back of your mind, what Noriko might mean to this boy presently and what she might come to mean in the future as well.

 

\-----One Week Later-------

 

“Hey Light?”

“Yeah?”

“If you just go straight to cram school after this, what do you do in your spare time?”

“Ah… study, mostly?” judging by the stutter in his voice he must have been terribly aware of how boring an answer that was.

“Oh my God, you really are a nerd” you laughed, comfortable enough with him at this point to know he would take it with a grain of salt.

“Hey! I’m not that bad. It’s not like I don’t have a social life”

“Do you though?” your mouth slid into a lazy smirk.

“Yeah, of course I do” he stated definitively. “In fact we’ve been talking for some time now why don’t we go out for lunch or something this weekend?”

The proposition catches you a little off guard but it’s not like you’re going to decline. “Asking me on a date, are we?” you teased.

You probably imagined it but you were almost sure you caught a glint of bashfulness in those glassy eyes, coupled with a hint of red on those soft cheeks… but if you had it was gone as quickly as it came - an illusion of the water one might say.

“Why, do you want it to be a date?” he counters back, smug expression completely unmasked this time.

“Not particularly, I was just curious” you grin, completely unabashed, which seems to catch him by surprise just the slightest. If you had to guess, you imagined most people would absolutely jump at the chance for a date with thee Light Yagami.

Light was eye candy you could admit that, you weren’t blind. He had these soft cheeks that contrasted to his highly defined jawline and that combination gave him this almost eternal impression of youth. Light was lean and tall, almost gangly but had just enough muscle on him to keep him clear from such a term. The boy was also a good conversationalist and - as you had mentioned at an earlier time - seemed to know just what to say to garner a positive reaction from those around him. Perhaps that’s where you deviated from the crowd, seeing through the ruse of a boy who didn’t want people to know what he really thought - just what they expected him to think. Perhaps that unnerved you in some aspect just like his glassy eyes or maybe… was it something else?

In truth you knew the real reason you couldn’t ever find yourself romantically attracted to Light. It was just a small thing but… you had already found the love of your life. His awkward but undeniably adorable charms had you wrapped around his finger. He was unconventional, truly strange but scarily perceptive and you had to admit those were things that had become things you adored about the detective.

It was with that thought in mind that you found the words for your next suggestion. “So, friendly get together, then?” you offered.

“That was my original intent, yes” the boy responded.

“I’m down for it!” you grinned once more. “It’ll be nice to talk to you outside of school for once”

Perhaps do a bit more personal investigating as well.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing” he responded, smug expression changing to a simple smile.

“So time? Day?”

“How about this Saturday? Two o'clock?”

“Sounds perfect”

Just like that the detective leads the suspect out into open waters.

 

\------That Same Day; Later------

 

Relaying this news of an outing to L was definitely one of the prouder moments you had during this case. After months of stalemate and backtracking in the wake of L's initial confrontation with Kira this felt like a step forward. Even if the possibility that Light was Kira was well under ten percent, getting to know the most favored of Daikoku’s student body certainly was an advantage in it's own regard.

“So Saturday we’re going out somewhere to eat” you called from the bathroom, furiously erasing concealer and all other manner of makeup products from your face.

“I'm sure you must be ecstatic to be offered such a grand opportunity as to spend a day with Light Yagami” L called from somewhere in the spacious main area of the hotel room. You can't see him but you can hear the humor in his monotone, a sarcastic undertone laced within his words.

In response to L’s proclamation you made this choked, gagging sound as you tossed your multiple makeup wipes into the trash.

“Ew, as if” you snorted loudly. “He’s not even my type”

That reaction is very well received by L who you could hear faintly snickering in the next room. “I suppose that bodes well for me then”

“Oh please” you chuckled, finally popping out of the bathroom after having removed the traces of Noriko from your face. “You never had anything to worry about to start with”

You took a seat next to your partner on the couch, who is busy at his computer and cross legged as usual. You placed a soft kiss on his cheek, relishing just how cool his skin was after such a long day. As you pulled back you would notice that in place of his normal smile, which was usually only a slight upturn of his lips, there was a childishly wide one on his face. This expression wasn't rare but rather infrequent so you relished the times in which you got to see it because damn it did he look adorable.

“I guess I can stop worrying then” he said, clearly not worried at all, if his facial expressions were anything to go off of.

You let out a puff of air as you rolled your eyes just slightly, a playful smile on your face. “Yeah, yeah as if you were actually worried”

“Oh no, I was, and terribly at that” he stated almost flatly, betraying any emotion of sincerity which rouses a laugh out of you.

“You’re terrible at lying, you know that?”

“I believe many might disagree with you on that.”

“Let me rephrase - you’re terrible at lying to me”

He chuckled lightly at the correction. “Ah, I see, that makes more sense. Far more plausible of an argument as well”

You laughed, unable to escape how comfortable it all felt in that moment, a lull in the madness. The past couple of weeks had felt like a whirlwind of hell between the loss of 12 FBI agents and the Japanese Police becoming ever increasingly annoyed with L’s behavior, appalled that they were being investigated at all. It's not like you couldn't understand their feelings but at the same time it was a necessary precaution.

“By the way” L interrupted after some time, smile slipping back into that thoughtful line his mouth usually rested in. “While you were out I spoke to the Task Force”

He always seemed to know what you were thinking, didn't he?

“Yeah? Any resolution?”

“Yes, actually. The ones who have chosen to remain in the Task Force will be coming here later tonight“

Your breath caught somewhere in your throat and your heart got caught somewhere in your stomach.

It was unrealistic to think that L, in all his years alive and in being a detective never once showed his face to anyone, but it was always under a guise - some codename. There were very few people who actually knew his identity as he had names for almost every part of the world. He was Eraldo Coil in Spain and sometimes Italy, Denueve in France and he had a recent addition to his collection that would suit the case given the location but…

“Here? As in… you’re going to meet them as you are?”

… it took only a small, deliberate nod to tell you that you might not be hearing that name after all.

“Are you…” you couldn’t help but hesitate. “...alright with that?”

Another deliberate, ambitious nod. “I am”

You can’t help but question the validity in his words, wondering if he was truly alright with it or if he was just mincing his feelings because this was the only way forward. In L’s own words:

“As things stand we can’t progress the investigation without the full trust and cooperation of the Japanese Police. We know that Kira is someone connected to the police so therefore we need to remain close to them. We also need the resources they provide if we hope to get anywhere in this case”

A small sigh escaped you. “I know you’re right I’m just… worried”

“If that’s the case then you are more than welcome to wear a disguise. I won’t ask you to reveal yourself as I am”

Immediately the words snap out of your mouth, unhinged in that moment. “No you idiot, I’m not worried about me” you huffed, heart having momentarily taken control of your mouth. “I’m worried about you. Agent Six might as well be a fairytale but you are very real and very sought after, especially by Kira. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“It’s the only way forward.” L responded, slow and sure. “Besides my name won’t be one easily attainable even when I do meet Kira” it’s almost as if he said it to assure you more than himself and while you knew he was right… it still unnerved you.

Kira’s main method of killing, as you had discussed countless times before, was with a face and a name. That’s all it took as far as anyone knew and while these powers were fantastical and intriguing they were also deadly and unimaginable. Who could blame you for being worried when L was sacrificing the anonymity that would otherwise have kept him safe?

In your contemplative, anxious silence L posed quite the question.

“You trust me, don’t you?”

The inquiry is so jarring you almost don’t know how to respond, even if there’s only two options to a question like that.

Ultimately however… “Yeah, of course I do...”

“Then trust me when I say that this, while bold, will be the right move. Trust me when I say that we will catch Kira” you felt his fingers slip into yours, gently squeezing your hand. It’s a small comfort that eases you, if only just so.

You let out a long, deep sigh, one to outrival the previous ones. “I know… I get it. Just let me worry for a while and I’ll get over it soon…”

“You’re entitled to your feelings, [Name].” - the use of your real name never fails to arouse a shiver from your body - “You’re allowed to feel the way that you do. I was just hoping you might find comfort in what I had to say”

“I do but it’s never quite that simple. I’m sure you know that about me by now?” you chuckled half heartedly, trying to manage a crooked smile. “I’ll be alright. After all it’s not as if you’re completely sheltered from the world anyway. Aiber and Weddy have known you for quite some time now”

“Yes and nothing has come of that, has it?”

You shook your head. “No, it hasn’t”

“In that regard, can I convince you that this will be alright as well?”

It really was touching how much he cared, how he very clearly wanted to be sure that you could handle this. You wouldn’t be unreasonable, you never were but as you said, the anxiety caused by the situation was a slow burn and the candle was quite tall.

“You don’t have to convince me, I’ll be alright” you reassured him, looking into his eyes with a much softer amount of resolve than the one he held, but it was resolve nonetheless. “Once we meet them and I understand what kind of people they are it’ll be easier for me”

You can see the small indent of a smile quirking at the corner of his lips. “Thank you”

“You don’t need to thank me. It’s just business after all, yeah?” you managed a more convincing smile this time, running your thumb over his knuckles.  
“Of course” he responded. A gentle expression pooled in those midnight swirls of darkness as he leaned in to place a soft kiss against your lips, one that tasted of gratitude and a little bit of remorse.

You smiled lazily at the action, squeezing his hand gently once more. “Well, is there anything I should look over before they get here?”

“There are a few things, actually. I’ve run a thorough background check on the remaining members of the Task Force but I’d like you to go over certain details again to be safe”

“Mm, sounds like a plan” you agreed and grabbed your own laptop that rested nearby.

 

With that you set to work, preparing to meet the Task Force for the first time. Preparing for the next phase of this investigation. How would it all progress? That was a question that would nag at the back of your mind for many days to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're finally getting into it!! Sorry these chapters have kind of been a slow burn but gotta do all the prep work before we get to the good stuff!!
> 
> If you guys like this please feel free to leave comments! They keep me motivated and thank you to everyone who's checked this out so far!


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